Railway-car frame.



No. 756,353. PATBNTED APR. 5, 1904. G. GIBBS.

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No. 756,353. A vI ATENTED APR. 5, 1904.

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RAILWAY GAR FRAME.

APPLICATION PILEDSBPT. 2l, 1903.

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UNITED STATES Patented April 5, 1904.

PATENT v OEEICE.

GEORGE GIRRs, OE NEW YORK, N. Y.

RAILWAY-CAR FRAME.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent o. 756,353, dated April 5, 1904.

Application led September 2l, 1903. Serial No. 173,955. (No model.)

To all whom] it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE GIRBs, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway-Car Frames, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the drawings accompanying and forming a part of the same.

My present invention, while applicable, broadly, to cars for any purpose, is designed particularly for passenger-coaches. Among other things it has been my object to provide a frame system which can be constructed for the most part of simple rolled plates and beams of common commercial shapes and to assemble the samein such a system of trusses and bridging as to carry the strains with least weight of material and least interference with the other functions of the structural parts.

The main purpose of my invention is to distribute the strains evenly over the floor and to carry the weight of the car chieiy on the side frames. I have therefore devised a novel combination of frame parts which accomplishes this result, and while the elements of this combination, each considered individually, may be old and well-known types I have invented certain novel forms for such elements which I prefer to employ and which are consequently described herein.

The invention which isvthe subject of the .present application therefore consists not only in the broad combinations mentioned above, but also in the novel parts which may be and preferably are employed as the elements of such combinations.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate only one embodiment of the invention,

kFigure l is a transverse section of the frame.

Fig. 2 is a plan view. Fig. 3 shows one of the cross-bearing trusses separately, and Fig. 4 shows a portion of the side frame viewed from the outside.

For the bed or floor frame I prefer to employ one or more central longitudinal sills of commercial or other suitable shape, such as the I-beams 1. Combined with these are end sills 2 and cross-frames 3 for the purpose of l2 shows the floor or bed frame in plan.

stiening the bed, distributing its strains, and

for carrying the weight to the side frames.

In the form illustrated the sills and crossframes are each composed of three main parts. The parts 4 between the side frames and the center sills may be secured to the latter in any convenient manner, as by means of castings 5. The parts 6 between the center sills may be castings or such other constructions as desired. In addition to the horizontal member composed of the parts mentioned I employ at each end of the cross bearers or trusses, in which term the end sills may also be included, a vertical member 7, which latter by proper extension may, if desired, also constitute a roof-support. If desired, a compression member 8 may also be used, secured to the cross-beam preferably adjacent to the center sill. The cross-bearing truss, composed of horizontal, vertical, and compression members, is shown separately in Fig. 3, while Fig. If desired, the sections of the truss adjacent to the side frames may be formed of plates constituting gussets.

The side frames, another important feature of the invention, are each composed of a continuous lower member 9, a continuous upper member 10, and between the two a central bracing 11, the whole forming a deep truss. The lower member is an angle-beam or other suitable shape having the iiange thereof turned inward to form a shelf for supporting the cross-bearing trusses. The upper member is an angle or other suitable form having a ange turned outward. This arrangement of the upper member presents several advantages, among which I Vmay mention that it permits the use of continuous roof-supports extending from the bed to the roof unbroken, whereas if the flange were turned inward either the supports or the upper member itself must necessarily be broken up in sections. Also the outwardly-turned flange may form the beltrail below the windows of the car. The intermediate bracing is preferably continuous between the two members, so as to make the side frame or truss a plate-girder, and may be madeeither in one continuous length or in sections of suitable size. The center bracing' may also constitute the outside sheathing of the car.

In assembling the several elements of my carframe the cross-bearers are secured to the lower member of the side frames and rest on the inwardly-turned flanges, as clearly shown in Fig. l. The strains of the bed, its own weight, and the weight of its load are there-v fore carried by the -side trusses, and that, too, without producing' such strains as would tend to distort the sides of the car from the normal vertical plane. At the same time the vertical parts of the cross-bearing trusses, preferably secured to the side trusses, as indicated, prevent bulging or inward distortion of the sides from extraneous causes. In addition to the transverse trusses the ordinary body-bolsters are provided for the bed-frame.

The third feature of my invention pertains more particularly to the superstructure of the car, comprising the roof and the sides above the belt-rails. Since by the construction described the weight and strains of the car are carried by side frames below the belt-rails, it is not necessary that the roof be utilized to increase the strength and stiffness of `the car. The superstructure can therefore be extremely light and in this respect is practically limited only by the requirements of properly housing the car. For this purpose I use light posts l2, which may be continuous from the floor to the roof, and frame the windows in between them. rIhe roof-frame is carried by the same posts and may be of any suitable construction-as, for example, the bent carlines l3- with longitudinal stiifening and framing ang'les 14, as shown in Fig'. l.

The numerous advantages resulting from my invention will be readily seen. In the lirst place the floor strains and weight are evenly distributed and by means of the cross-bearing trusses are transferred to and carried by the side fram es, which latter may be easily and cheaply made strong enough to perform the functions required. At the same time the weight which is carried by the side trusses does not tend to distort the sides, and, if desired, the cross-bearers may be provided with vertical end members and also diagonal compression members to give the sides additional resistance against bending'. Another and by no means unimportant feature, particularly in electric'traction systems, is the fact that the cross-trusses are located entirely above the bottom plane of the car, leaving the space below the same free for such apparatus as it is desired to place there.

lvhile the advantages just enumerated are in some respects the most important, others will be at once suggested to persons skilled in the art.

Having now fully described my invention, what I claim is 1. In a railway-car frame, the combination with a plurality of side trusses, of a floor or bed frame having' a plurality of cross-bearing trusses each composed of a horizontal member and a vertical member at each end thereof, said cross-tru sses being' supported by the lower parts of the side trusses, with the said vertical members extending' upward and adjacent to the upper parts of the side trusses, as set forth.

2. In a railway-car frame, the combination with a plurality of side trusses, of a lloor or bed frame having a plurality of cross-bearing trusses each composed of a horizontal member, a vertical member at each end, and compression members intermediate the horizontal and vertical members, said cross-trusses being supported by the lower part of the side trusses, with the vertical and compression members extending above the floor of the car, as set forth.

3. In a railway-ear, a floor or bed frame comprising, in combination, one or more longitudinal sills, and a plurality of crossbear ing trusses each composed of a horizontal member having a vertical member and a compression member at each end extending above the bottom of the car, as set forth.

Li. In a railway-car frame, a cross-bearing truss composed of a horizontal member having at each end avertieal member and a com pression member, as set forth.

5. In a passengercar, the combination with a steel body-frame constructed to supply the necessary strength and rigidity of the car, composed of side trusses, cross-bearing trusses carried by the side trusses and having' means to prevent distortion of the latter, and a floor carried by the cross-bearing trusses, of alight housing to inclose the body, consisting' of a roof-frame, and supports therefor carried by the body, as set forth.

6. In a passenger-car, the combination with a steel-body-frame constructed to supply the necessary strength and rigidity of the car, composedwof side trusses, cross-bearing trusses supported by the lower parts ofI the side trusses, and a floor carried by the cross-bein| ing trusses, of a light housing to inclose the body, consisting' of a roofframe, and supports therefor carried by the body, as set forth.

7. In a passenger-car, the combination with a steel body-frame constructed to supply the necessary strength and rigidity of the car, composed of deep side trusses located below the windows, a floor, supports for the floor carried by the side trusses, and means to prevent distortion of the side trusses, of a light housing to inclose the body, consisting' of a roof-frame, and supports therefor carried by the body, as set forth.

8. Ina passenger-car, the combination with a steel body-frame constructed to supply the necessary strength and rigidity of the car, composed of deep side trusses located below the windows, having' upper members with out- IOO IIO

wardly-turned ianges constituting belt-rails underneath the windows of the car, and a iioor supported by the lower parts of the side trusses, of a light housing to inclose the body, consisting of a roof-frame, and a plurality of supports therefor carried by the body, as set forth.

9. In a passenger-car, the combination with a steel body-frame constructed to supply the necessary strength and rigidity of the car, composed of deep side trusses located below the windows, having lower members, and upper members constituting belt-rails underneath the windows of the car, cross-bearing trusses supported by the lower members of the side trusses, and a floor supported by the cross-bearing trusses, of a light housing to inclose the body, consisting of a roof-frame, and supports therefor carried by the body, as set forth.

10. In a passenger-car, the combination with asteel body-frame constructed to supply the necessary strength and rigidity of the car, composed of deep side trusses located below the windows, having lower members, a floor carried by the lower members of the side trusses, and a housing to inclose the body, consisting of a roof-frame, and supports therefor supported by the lower members of the side trusses, as set forth. v

11. In a passengercar,the combination with aY steel body-frame constructed to supply the necessary strength and rigidity of the car, composed of side trusses located below the windows, consisting of upper members having outwardly-turned flanges constituting beltrails underneath the windows of the car, lower members and intermediate bracings, and a iioor supported by the lower members, of a light housing to inclose the body, consisting tute the belt-rail underneath the windows of the car, a lower member having an inwardlyturned flange to support the floor of the car, and a plurality of roof-supports, as set forth.

13. In a railway-car frame, the combination with side trusses each having an inwardly-extending flange at or nearv its lower part, and an upper member having an outwardly-extending ange, of a plurality of roof-supports carried by the lower member and extending therefrom to the roof unbroken, as set forth.

14. In a railway-car, a frame comprising, in combination, a pair of side trusses each composed of a lower member having an inwardly-extending flange, an upper member having an outwardly-extending flange, and an intermediate bracing; afloor or bed frame composed of one or more longitudinal sills, and a plurality of cross-bearing trusses each consisting of a horizontal member, and a vertical and a compression member at each end thereof, said cross-trusses being supported on the inwardlyextending lianges of the side trusses; a plurality of roof-supports carried by the lower member of the side trusses and extending unbroken therefrom to the roof; and a roof-frame carried by said supports, as set forth.

GEORGE GIBBS.

Witnesses:

W. L. MURRAY, W. E. SPRAGUE. 

